


Prague Falls

by naughtybutinagoodway, she_blinks (naughtybutinagoodway)



Category: Atomic Blonde (2017), Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Death of minor characters, F/F, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Smut, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-05 03:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13379163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naughtybutinagoodway/pseuds/naughtybutinagoodway, https://archiveofourown.org/users/naughtybutinagoodway/pseuds/she_blinks
Summary: A crossover of Carol (2015) and Atomic Blonde (2017) ... our favorite characters are spies. The setting is Prague, in November 1989, during the days between the opening of the Berlin Wall but before the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia.





	1. Fugue of Sound

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't resist the urge to weave these two (excellent) movies together in a spy novelette (apologies to the purists). This fanfic has been outlined to occur over 10+ chapters. The next two or three will come online quickly. If there's sufficient interest, then I may fold in more plot twists, which are percolating.  
> There is/will be smut in this story, but it will be sprinkled throughout unevenly. Chapter 3 caused me to change rating from Mature to Explicit. When the Category moves beyond F/F, I'll add a tag at that time.  
> 

#### Thursday, 9:47 pm, November 16, 1989 < Warm Káva on a Cold Night >

Carol took a final, deep drag on her cigarette, scanning the street beyond the recessed doorway she was tucked in. Her senses were stretched to monitor her surroundings. Carol was finally convinced that Spyglass had not been followed. It was twenty-three minutes past their agreed-upon meeting time, and Carol could tell that he was getting nervous. She needed to move before he bailed on the exchange.

Carol tightened the sash around her coat, pulled up the lapels, and walked into the coffee shop. Even though it was late at night, there were still several people in the shop, enjoying each other’s company with a warm káva on a cold night. Carol walked to the table at the rear of the shop, noticing some of the tension leaving Spyglass’s face. Ever careful, Carol eyed the leather satchel warily as she approached.

“You’re late,” Spyglass greeted her.

“And you’re acting too nervous,” she whispered, her smile not matching the words Carol spoke. Carol had to fight the urge to roll her eyes when Spyglass tried to overcorrect, and forced a smile, using his facial muscles in an unfamiliar way. “Let me see the watch.”

Spyglass opened his satchel, and Carol was tense, until she saw him pull out what was clearly a watch. He handed it over, but before letting go, asked tersely, “And my payment?”

“Will be waiting for you at the airport, once I confirm … that the watch is of the manufacturer you say it is,” Carol hesitated. She slid a locker key across the table top.

Just as Spyglass was about to relinquish the watch, Carol’s heightened senses allowed her to register a group of men suddenly approach the café door, with handguns raised, bloodlust darkening their eyes. As one of the men opened the door, Carol rolled out of her chair, onto the floor and behind the counter.  The three men opened fire, emptying their magazines. The sound of the gunfire was deafening, followed by the percussion of breaking glass and splintering wood, and eventually the wails of those that were still able to - a terrifying fugue of sound.

#### Thursday, 9:32 pm, November 16, 1989 < Across the City >

Despite having spent the afternoon working together, Delphine could tell that Lorraine trusted no one. Least of all an unfamiliar agent, one trained to mask her loyalties, motivations. Delphine watched Lorraine slowly sip her Stoli on the rocks, Lorraine’s blue eyes penetrating her hesitancy, and then scanning those nearby in the club. The stakes were too high, Delphine had to look away and regroup. She took a small sip of her own drink, then leaned closer and said loud enough to be heard over the music, “I’ve been dying to ask you a question.” Delphine felt as if she was about to feed herself to a lion, but she couldn’t stop herself.

Delphine leaned in to kiss Lorraine, capturing her bottom lip between her own. Lorraine instinctually responded by pursing her lips, softly but unmistakably meeting Delphine’s kiss with her own. Delphine lingered, and then pulled away a bit. Now having confidence to accompany her lust, Delphine growled into Lorraine’s ear, “Let’s go someplace quiet.” She stepped away from the bar and pulled Lorraine toward her. Delphine led Lorraine toward the back of the nightclub, holding her hands as they wove through those who were dancing, drinking. No longer worried about masking her intentions, Delphine couldn’t hide her excitement.

Delphine pulled Lorraine into an unoccupied toilet room. Lorraine pushed Delphine against the wall, crushing her hips with her own. Their kiss was rough, hungry. Delphine bit Lorraine’s lower lip and tugged, as Lorraine’s hands roamed down her back. Lorraine pulled Delphine away from the wall, just enough so that she could spin her around. Lorraine pushed Delphine into the wall at the shoulders, forcing Delphine’s face against the wall. Lorraine noticed that Delphine’s leather choker cut into her straining neck. She slid two fingers under the choker and pulled back firmly, immobilizing Delphine.

Lorraine moved her free hand around Delphine’s hip, under her leather jacket, and pulled up her dress, groping for the young agent’s sex. Delphine let out a whimper of anticipation. When Lorraine discovered that Delphine wore only a garter and hose, her mouth curled into a sneer, she groaned her approval. Lorraine reached further and ran her fingertips through Delphine curls, eliciting a sharp intake of air.

Delphine was intoxicated by Lorraine’s brutal brand of lovemaking. Lorraine seemed to Delphine to be driven more by fury than affection. Delphine found herself responding nonetheless, and she knew that Lorraine would soon find her thighs covered in her own wetness. Just as Lorraine’s fingertips reached inside of Delphine’s wet lips, she felt a vibration coming from the pocket of Delphine’s jacket. “Bloody hell,” Lorraine said, more of a question as she pulled away.

Delphine’s face fell as realization hit, her pager was going off. She uttered a string of curse words in French, struggling to control her breathing. Delphine turned around and looked at Lorraine, her face a mask of indecision and regret. She reluctantly pulled her pager out of her pocket and looked at the small LCD screen. Unable to hide her disappointment, Delphine said, “I have to go. Something has happened, across town. Appears to be an operation gone wrong.”

#### Wednesday, 2:23 pm, November 15, 1989 < The Previous Day – Carol’s Arrival >

A woman like Carol attracts a lot of attention, courtesy of her height and bone structure. There’s not much that can be done to hide her considerable beauty. Even in Czechoslovakia, where women are taller and blonder than the average American, Carol still turns heads. Carol dressed in clothes that draped her flatteringly. Her mannerisms, rather than minimizing her appeal, accentuated her curves, gilded her with verve, made her blinding. Sure enough, before leaving Prague–Ruzyně Airport, Carol had already acquired a tail.

The followers changed throughout the day, to lessen suspicion. Her followers saw Carol visiting several areas in the city center of Prague. Once checking into her hotel near Prague Castle, Carol visited a gift shop; she smoked a few cigarettes while strolling through Letná Park; later Carol had a light supper near Charles Bridge. In short, her stops appeared to be random, like that of a tourist.

#### Wednesday, 10:32 pm, November 15, 1989 < The Night of Carol’s Arrival >

Carol realized that she was feeling restless, and wouldn’t be able to sleep well. Now on her fourth visit to Prague, Carol decided to explore the nightlife in Vinohrady. Carol found a nightclub and headed straight to the bar, ordering a whiskey on the rocks. Feeling the burn of her first sips of her drink, Carol took a look around the nightclub, willing herself to relax.

After assessing the bar patrons, Carol felt that her willingness to venture would pay off nicely. Carol spotted a cluster of young women at the end of the bar, and another small group sitting at a table to her left. Carol enjoyed the attention of the women, perhaps she wouldn’t have to be alone this first night in Prague after all.

Several minutes later, and well into her second drink, Carol was wondering to which group she should send a round of drinks. Carol wished she were able to enjoy the new setting with Abby, her best friend. Abby was one of the few civilians that Carol trusted unequivocally, and she was a hoot as well. She would have plenty of opinions about which young women to pursue. Smiling at the thought, Carol finished her drink. As she turned toward the bartender, a young, dark haired girl walked off the dance floor to stand next to Carol. “Hello,” she said in a soft, accented voice. Carol could barely hear her over the music.

She had to lean down to speak directly into the girl’s ear, “How’d you know what language to speak?”

The girl hesitated, before responding, “Lucky guess.” She followed up with a request, gesturing towards Carol’s drink, “Can I have one of those?”

Carol smiled in agreement, held her glass up for the bartender to see and raised two fingers. As she waited for the drinks, she stole a glance at the girl, who was facing the rest of the club. She was dressed quite fashionably, her ensemble quite a bit more avant garde than anything in Carol’s wardrobe. At least her skirt and top did not disguise her youthful, fit body. Carol handed a drink to the girl, “Na zdravi. I’m Mary.”

The girl fixed her blue-green eyes onto Carol, and clinked her glass to Carol’s, “Děkuji. My name is Jana.” Jana finally made eye contact with Carol and spoke her mind, “You are quite beautiful.” The efficiency of the conversation brought a smile to Carol’s lips - Abby would definitely know how to avail herself of the opportunity to dispense with unnecessary chit chat.

One hour later, Jana was squatting naked over Carol’s thighs, looking down to watch three of Carol’s fingers slide slowly into her dripping wet sex. When their perfectly manicured, coral-colored tips disappeared into Jana’s depth, Jana groaned with intense pleasure. When Carol’s fingers could go no deeper, Jana moved her torso forward, touching her abdomen to Carol’s breasts. The new angle gave Carol the leverage she needed to work her fingers in and out of Jana even more deeply, more forcefully, and to use her thumb to apply gentle circular touches to Jana’s clit … exactly the result Jana intended. Jana held onto Carol’s shoulders, her fingers gripping deeply above her shoulder blades.

Carol had bed many women in many countries. She had taken to playing a game, a way of weaving together her cautious nature and her insatiable sexual appetite. Before she would let the other woman fuck her, Carol would say something, anything, in one of the six languages in which she was fluent. Whatever language she felt most likely to produce a tell from the woman she was fucking. She just needed to know that she wasn’t being seduced by an operative.

With Jana, she decided to speak English, given their conversation earlier in the club. Carol just wanted to test whether the girl was hiding more fluency. She purred seductively into Jana’s neck, “My ex-husband resembles a rat’s testicles.”

There was absolutely no hesitation, Jana’s only reaction was to moan in response, and to continue to rock her hips around Carol’s deeply embedded fingers. Carol was satisfied, wanting to enjoy herself.

Carol continued to stroke Jana and could tell that she was nearing orgasm. Her cheeks and chest were blushing. Her moans, low at first, we becoming more insistent. Her sex was swelling, flush with blood. Her clit was growing larger, harder. Before allowing Jana’s desire to crest, Carol slowed, then stopped, all stimulation of Jana. Carol delighted at the string of curses that fell from Jana’s mouth, not knowing their meaning, but fully understanding their intent. When Jana began to open her eyes, Carol thrust her fingers back inside of her. As Jana came, Carol bit down just above Jana’s right breast. Jana cried out, as she shuddered through her powerful orgasm.

After hours of fucking, Jana was sleeping off exhaustion from their vigorous sex. Carol quietly let herself out of Jana’s apartment.

#### \------------

As Carol cruised the nightclub, she did not acknowledge the lone, long haired beauty watching her intently. Delphine knows how to use her intimate knowledge of the city, and all of its nooks and crannies, to hide in plain sight. This was no small feat, as Delphine is gorgeous, possessing dark, almost black, piercing eyes, high cheekbones, full lips, long, dark hair, chestnut skin and a very fit body.

Delphine made note of the type of women that garnered Carol’s attention.

After Jana escorted Carol out of the bar, Delphine walk over toward the area where they had just been standing. She was clutching a scarf, and asked the people in the vicinity, “Promiňte. Znáte ženy, které právě tady byli? Jeden z nich uvrhl šátek.” ( _Excuse me. Do you know the women who were just here? One of them dropped their scarf_.)

One of the women answered, looked to her friends and then answered, “Američan byl jmenován Mary.“  ( _The American was named Mary_.)

“Děkuji,“ Delphine answered in fluent Czech. Having acquired the information she wanted, Delphine left the nightclub. She had to prepare for another important visitor to her city the following day.

#### Thursday, 2:43 pm, November 16, 1989 < Lorraine’s Arrival >

Lorraine’s flight landed just a few minutes late, and she made her way through the airport. She had never met Delphine, but felt that she’d not have a problem finding her, having imprinted the younger agent’s image in her mind. Sure enough, Delphine was waiting for Lorraine at bag claim, and was even more striking in person than in the photographs contained in the mission’s dossier. Lorraine grabbed her suitcase and made her way over to Delphine. “You must be Delphine. Thank you so much for offering to pick me up. I’m not as familiar with Prague as I’d like to be.”

“My pleasure,” Delphine smiled.

#### \------------

Upon spotting Lorraine, Delphine felt her stomach muscles tighten and her cheeks flush with warmth. Lorraine was stunning, in a dangerous, blunt sort of way. Even though she is tall, Lorraine did not attempt to shrink into the background. Lorraine dressed to be noticed, wearing heels, and sported a platinum blond bob. After spending the previous evening observing Carol in the nightclub, and now welcoming this blond Amazon, Delphine wonders if Prague is big enough to contain both women.

#### Thursday, 3:51 pm, November 16, 1989 < Back at Delphine’s Safehouse >

Delphine prepared some tea for Lorraine and her colleague, David Percival. “Percival will be providing additional capability. He has been here in Prague for a while. Do you two know each other?” Lorraine noticed that Percival gave nothing away, however Delphine replied, “Yes, I know of Dav-id.” She said nothing more and turned to Lorraine. “So tell us more about this mission,” Delphine continued.

“Thanks again for extending the resources of your office, for being willing to help MI6 with this mission,” Lorrained started.

“Us Allied agents have to stick together,” Delphine said, trying to stay focused on their conversation.

“Before I get started, I was surprised to see someone so young as station chief in Prague. How long have you been a DGSE (General Directorate for External Security, _Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure)_ agent?“ Lorraine asked, making no attempt to hide the fact that she was watching Delphine’s lips.

Delphine’s heartrate sped up with Lorraine’s attention. “I was recruited as a teenager. I started as a scout in Paris, became known for the thoroughness of my surveillance. A year ago, I was given an opportunity to take on more responsibility here in Prague. The rest is, as they say, l‘histoire.”

“Impressive,” Lorraine said appreciatively, assessing Delphine, waiting to see if the young woman would say more. When Delphine did not offer more information, Lorraine turned to Percival, “Percival, why don’t you tell Delphine more about yourself?”

“Like Delphine, I started out as a …” Percival had already been tuned out by Delphine and Lorraine. Delphine slowly traced her gaze along Lorraine’s neck, along her jawline, across her lips, and up to her blue eyes. Lorraine’s eyes were already waiting for Delphine’s. Delphine could feel her pupils widen as they made eye contact, and she momentarily held her intense stare before looking down. As they waited for Percival to finish, Delphine tried not to stare at Lorraine’s powerful hands. Lorraine continued to watch Delphine’s eyes. Delphine hoped that she wasn’t flushed from self-consciousness.

When Percival finished speaking, Lorraine tried to get the discussion back on track, “So if we can speak freely, communist rule is on very shaky ground. Even though the Communist Party is trying to tighten control over Czechoslovakia, we expect their rule will fall as it has in the other communist countries. I’m here to ensure safe passage of valuable MI6 assets. I am especially concerned with one who has reached a high level of trust within StB (State Security for the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, _Státní bezpečnost)_ , Therese Belivet.”

Lorraine continued, “We all know that StB has been utilizing ruthless tactics to help the Party maintain its tenuous hold on power. We don’t want our assets, especially those who have been as invaluable as Therese, to be subject to any … inhumane treatment, should the Party realize their collaboration in any impending revolution.”

Delphine knew of Therese. Therese Belivet, like herself, had risen through the ranks of her respective State security agency. Therese had been recruited by StB at a very young age because of her cunning, skill and language skills. Another desirable attribute of Therese’s, at least in the eyes of StB … she had no family ties to speak of. This lack of familial obligation made her an ideal intelligence agent – one who would do anything to please, even if it’s to please something as ambiguous as the State party. Eventually, Therese caught the attention of Soviet advisors to StB who had set their sights on further infiltration of Western Europe and beyond.

“I’m aware of her background,” Delphine noticed Lorraine looked at her sharply when she spoke the words. “She’s young, and, how do you say, resourceful.”

Delphine could sense … what was it, respect, affection, concern… in Lorraine’s interest in Therese. Delphine did not think it was sexual or romantic in nature, but couldn’t shake the feeling that Lorraine was more than just a handler for Therese. Delphine began to wonder if there was more to Therese’s story than she had heard through her back channels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, especially if you're enjoying this story. It gives such a lift when I'm writing and editing. Thanks!


	2. Ambush Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite characters have to adjust to a new reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back for Chapter 2!

#### Thursday, 9:56 pm, November 16, 1989 < Empty-Handed >

Percival was the first one through the door, and he started firing at the tall blond first. He had been prepped – she was cautious, but steely; he was anxious, skittish, had only ever had a desk job. Percival’s intention was to kill her first, then focus on the disabling Spyglass. Percival could see that the blond’s hands were already reaching out to grab the watch containing the List.

Lorraine had filled Percival in on his clandestine mission, the one that Delphine didn’t know about. Turns out StB wasn’t all that in the dark about double-agents behind the iron curtain. In fact, the agency had a directorate that maintained a list of known double-agents. Spyglass was a mid-level manager within that directorate. After the Berlin Wall fell, Spyglass reached out to the CIA via one of the double-agents and offered a copy of the List in exchange for exfiltration of himself and his family. Even though Spyglass didn’t have the mental agility and emotional steadiness to navigate the vagaries required of field work, he was intuitive enough to know that Prague would not be a safe place for his wife and young daughter during the chaos that would hold sway after the fall of communism.

Percival registered that the blond had rolled out of her chair and across the café floor. As soon as Percival knew that all three guns had been emptied of bullets, he moved across the floor to follow the blond’s path behind the counter. He didn’t see a watch anywhere. Percival ran at full speed through the shop kitchen and out into the alley. He listened for footsteps and headed off to his right. He yelled to the two men behind him, “Look in all the doors, around all corners!” By the time he reached the first intersecting alleyway, Percival could no longer detect the blond’s footsteps.

Percival had to weigh the benefits of continuing to chase the female agent, or heading back to the coffee shop to see if anything of value could be retrieved. Reluctantly, he returned to the coffee shop and headed over the corner where Spyglass lay dying.

The patrons who were still alive recognized Percival as one of the shooters, and cowered underneath the nearest table. Percival found a woman’s leather glove, a pack of American cigarettes and a hotel key, and placed the items in his pocket. He looked around and saw Spyglass’s satchel underneath his torso. Percival pulled out the leather case and looked inside. Nothing but a lunch container and a newspaper.

 _Fuck, no List!_ Percival stood up and walked calmly out of the coffee shop.

#### Thursday, 10:14 pm, November 16, 1989 < … a Wife and a Daughter >

Carol didn’t rise to the upper ranks among CIA field agents without preparing for every mission to run as meticulously as possible. That included preparing for all eventualities for when a mission went south. Mission fails were a reality of her life. Suspecting that she had been followed as soon as she landed the previous day, Carol doubled her preparations for the exchange.

After wandering around the city, Carol spent the early evening stationed outside of Kachlíkárna, StB headquarters. She located her target Spyglass, and tracked him as he walked home. Carol didn’t leave a watch-post outside his home until she was satisfied that he was in for the evening.

Carol’s preparations did result in her still being alive, despite the ambush. Before the men could empty the clips of their handguns, she had slipped out the service door of the coffee shop, run down the alleyway, down another alley, and slipped behind a door to a windowless storage room that she had propped open as Spyglass was waiting on her. She knew that the gunmen couldn’t look around too long for her, as the sirens of police cars began to get closer and closer.

While waiting on the right time to leave her hiding spot, Carol took inventory of the items on her person. She had grasped the watch containing the List from Spyglass’s hand as soon as she noticed the gunmen. Carol put the watch on her wrist. She felt around in her coat pockets and realized that she’d lost a pack of cigarettes, her hotel key and one of her leather gloves. They must have fallen out when she rolled on the floor away from Spyglass. As Carol was feeling around in her pockets, she noticed that she had been grazed on her left forearm by a bullet. She placed the remaining glove on the wound and held it there with her right hand. Carol knew that she didn’t have much time to act, to staunch the bleeding, to cover her tracks as much as possible. Carol decided to take a chance and leave the storage room as soon as she heard two police cars stopped outside the coffee shop.

Taking an even riskier move, Carol walked over to the front elevation of the shop, blending in with the other curious bystanders who were gathering. She surveyed the bodies inside the shop. She could see Spyglass prone on the floor beneath the table at which they were both sitting just minutes ago. She could see three other patrons who appeared seriously injured, or worse. _Fuck. He has a wife and a daughter. One who is Rindy’s age._

Carol pulled up the collars of her coat with her good arm, and walked slowly in the direction of her hotel. Once she turned two corners, she began to walk much faster. She had to get there and clear her stuff out before those who found her hotel key could do so.

#### Thursday, 10:41 pm, November 16, 1989 < The Biggest Thing >

Delphine allowed Lorraine to accompany her to the coffee shop after reaching out to her sources across the city. By the time they arrived on site, Delphine had learned that the operation involved an StB agent and several other unknown operatives. Only the StB agent remained onsite, along with three other dead who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Around Delphine’s neck was her trusty camera. Delphine hoped to use the goodwill that she had built up over the past year to come across more information.

Delphine walked to the shop, having been recognized one of the detectives on the scene. She nodded her head slightly in acknowledgment and asked in passable Czech, “Anything happen that French intelligence should know about?” Her friend nodded apologetically, “You know I can’t answer that …” he looked around, “not here, not now.”

Delphine said, “Of course. Is there anything we can do to help?” The detective looked at Lorraine warily and replied, “Any of those requests will have to come through StB.”

#### \------------

Lorraine could see a man lying in a pool underneath a table. A nearby leather briefcase had been opened, some contents pulled out. It was all Lorraine needed to see to know that Percival had already scoured the scene for any clues. And that he likely didn’t have the List – there would have been no other reason for Percival to rifle through the briefcase.

She’d have to meet with Percival to confirm her suspicions. And find out exactly where the plan went wrong.

Lorraine and Delphine walked away, both having learned a lot less than hoped for. “Tomas has been dying to fuck me ever since I arrived a year ago…” she left the rest unsaid.

“No amount of information is worth you fucking _him_.”

“I’m not looking for reasons to fuck him, but this, tonight, is the biggest thing to happen in this city since, well, even before my arrival,” Delphine tried to reason.

“No,” Lorraine said flatly. She walked ahead, to put an end to the conversation. Besides, Lorraine already knew that the detectives on the scene didn’t find anything of value.

#### Friday, 9:28 am, November 17, 1989 < The Biggest Thing >

She could see Percival approaching, looking as if he was in no particular hurry. Lorraine was both appreciative and annoyed by this fact. _My god, he’s a cocky mother fucker._ “Nice of you to finally show up. My ass is freezing, waiting on you.”

“I could warm it up for you,” Percival offered hopefully.

“Don’t,” was her reply. Lorraine stood up to begin walking with Percival. “So …” she invited him to fill her in.

“She’s good. I lost track of her.” Percival confirmed what she already suspected. “I assume she has the List. I couldn’t find it.” Lorraine scanned his face for anything, something to tell her that there was more to what he was saying. She couldn’t see it, and looked down thinking.

“But I did find three things of value. I found a leather glove, bespoke. And a hotel key.” Lorraine raised her eyebrow … _these two items would be quite helpful_. “And a pack of Camels, you want one?” Lorraine nodded, politely smiling at his little joke.

“Did you go to her hotel room last night?”

“Of course I did. She had already cleared out anything of value.”

The smile dropped quickly as she began thinking about what to do next. Percival tapped two cigarettes out of the pack, put them in his mouth and lit them both. He handed one to Lorraine. She dragged deeply as they walked together in silence.

“Let me see the key and glove.” Percival fished them out of his coat pocket. Lorraine reached for them, and noticed that Percival instinctively closed his fingers around them, not wanting to relinquish them. But just as soon as he did so, he opened his hand to give Lorraine access to them.

Lorraine held the hotel key in one hand while she scrutinized the glove. _Yes, the glove was clearly bespoke, with a tag sewn into a seam. This could certainly be useful._ Next she looked at the hotel key. The silver key had three letters stamped into it, _HPD_. “Which hotel?” she asked.

“Hotel Pod Vezi,” he replied. “I asked one of the other guys.”

Lorraine had the beginnings of a plan of action started. I’ll have Therese work on filling in some blanks about this Carol Ross. Given her entrenchment with StB, she can work from the inside out to reveal Spyglass’s moves, motivations. It might help us figure what Carol might do next.” Lorraine was actually hoping for a window into what Carol’s next ten steps might be. “I think I’ll have Delphine help as well.”

Percival turned to Lorraine with an incredulous look, “You’re going to involve her?”

“Yes. She knows the inner workings of this city better than any of us,” her voice left no room for debate. “And it will build up some trust between us.”

 “I want you to see if this glove leads us anywhere.”

Percival snorted, clearly hoping to do something other than following up on a woman’s glove.

#### Friday, 1:53 pm, November 17, 1989 < From This Angle >

“It’s so good to see you. It’s been too long,” Lorraine tried to make their meeting for tea appear casual, between two friends meeting after some time apart. Which it was, but the tenor was anything but casual. Both Lorraine and Therese knew that there was tremendous danger in being spotted together by the wrong people.

Therese picked up her cup of tea and gingerly took a sip. When she put her cup down, she cocked her head to one said and asked, “I’ve missed you too. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I need you to see what you can find out about Carol Ross. Beyond the more obvious bits,” she tried to convey the urgency, the significance, by mimicking Therese with a cock of her own head.

“You mean the CIA agent, the one who was involved in the … incident last night?” Therese was being flooded by the questions forming.

“Yes, that’s the very one,” Lorraine answered, her smile not belying the discussion they were having.

“I am already at risk here, and you want me to get involved in that?” Therese’s voice was starting to take on an uneasy edge.

“Look, be reasonable please. I really am sorry to spring this change of plans on you. But I need your help … I need you to find out more about her interaction with your colleague,” Lorraine was signaling Spyglass. “Find out how long they’ve been planning, any other important particulars. And I need you to dig deeper to find out who she trusts, the outcomes of her past operations, how she prepares … anything that will be helpful …” Lorraine could anticipate Therese’s next question.

“And just why are we approaching it from _this_ angle?” Therese asked, leaving unasked why the attackers weren’t going to be the intended target of her scrutiny, why dig into the background of an ally.

“You’re going to have to trust me. I _know_ I’ve earned your trust,” Lorraine tried to sway Therese. “I want to review the dossier tomorrow,” she added with finality. Lorraine’s thoughts had already moved on to her next moves.

#### Friday, 11:12 pm, November 17, 1989 < Been Made >

Carol had made her way to the safe house earlier in the day, and was already feeling like a cage animal. _God I hope I hear from someone soon._ Carol occupied herself by tidying up the small flat, trying to remove the dust and wrinkles on all the surfaces that she’d come into contact with … _my god, savages must have been here last._

When she was done cleaning, Carol looked for something to eat. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday. She could only find some stale crackers and a can of tuna in the cupboards. Carol got a chuckle out of herself when she realized that, yes, she really was making a mental note to let someone know to restock this place. After her small snack, Carol found herself relaxing a bit. She had been on edge all of last night, wandering the cold city.

Carol decided to make use of her restlessness and free time by preparing for the debrief that she knew would occur as soon as her next handler reached out to her. Carol sorted through the events leading up to the failed exchange. _Failed exchange, yes that’s how I’ll refer to it._ She didn’t feel that those who were following her from the airport were particularly menacing; it seemed more as if she were being followed because she obviously wasn’t native

 She thought back to the bar, Jana. _That bit of fun seems like it happened so long ago. Fuck, I need to be more careful_ , Carol admonished herself. _But wouldn’t any consequences from picking up the wrong person have occurred before Carol was able to successfully get her hands on the List?_ Carol reflexively looked at her wrist, to make sure that the watch was still on it. Then she allowed herself a small smile, hoping that her ‘tell test’ hadn’t finally failed her. One of the perks of having a job that sent her around the world was getting to sleep with whomever she fancied.

She didn’t recognize any of the three attackers, nor any of the others sitting in the coffee shop.

What she couldn’t be sure of is if the breach occurred on Spyglass’s end. And who ordered the ambush. And who knew that Carol was in possession of the List.

There were few things she was sure about, the most weighty to her being that she now had a second death on her hands. If Spyglass caused his own death, then she’d eventually find a way to get over it. She did before. But if he wasn’t deceiving her, the CIA, then Carol would carry this failure with her forever. Carol decided that one of the first things she would do when she could move around again was to check on Spyglass’s family.

The other things that Carol was sure of … she has been made, and that she is being hunted by others who want the List.

#### \------------

Lorraine arrived at the front entrance of the Hotel Pod Vezi, and smoked a cigarette in the square between its two buildings. After getting a feel for the comings and goings of the entrance into the main hotel, she entered and followed the steps up to the second floor, just as Percival explained to do. Lorraine arrived at the doorway that matched the number stamped on the key and took a look around. She knocked lightly on the door, to see if anyone else was in the room, unsure if anyone else had checked in. Not hearing a reply, Lorraine slipped the key into the lock and unlocked the door.

It was obvious that the room had already been ransacked, by others beyond Percival. Lorraine wanted to see if anything had been overlooked. She searched the bathroom, sliding her hands under the countertop, looking within the toilet tank, unfolding towels. Next she moved onto the dresser. Again, she felt along the surface under the dresser top and looked at all surfaces of the drawers. Lorraine performed the same thorough inspection to the lamps and nightstand.

Finally, on the bed was left. Lorraine held up the bed linens that had been balled up on the floor by someone before her. When she pulled up the last sheet, something fluttered to the floor. Lorraine looked down and found a wallet-sized photo. Of a young girl.

Lorraine noticed that the girl looked like pictures she had seen of Carol Ross.

As she looked under the bed, the door opened and two men burst into the room. One man went into the bathroom and the other approached the far end of the room, where Lorraine was hiding. He was able to reach a vantage point where he would see Lorraine. Lorraine, on her hands and knees, kicked her leg straight out and broke the man’s leg at the knee. Lorraine grabbed his gun and rolled over and shot the gunman who was now running toward his fallen comrade.

Lorraine dropped the gun and kicked out the window. As she climbed out the window, Lorraine could see two more men enter the room. Lorraine dropped to the ground, knowing that the room was chosen by Carol for just this reason – the second story hotel room offered easy escape if necessary.

Lorraine ran under the Tower of Charles Bridge, only steps away, grateful for the protection and cover it provided. Hiding behind the Gothic arch, Lorraine heard two men running towards her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love the comments, thank you!


	3. Tipped Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorraine fights off attackers, and seeks out Delphine to help care for her. Delphine takes care of several of Lorraine's needs. Lorraine begins to realize how familiar Delphine is with Prague.
> 
> I had planned on including storylines on all four women in each chapter, but Chapter 3 became way too long. So I split it into two separate chapters. This first one focuses on Lorraine and Delphine, next one will focus on Carol and Therese, I promise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to change the Rating to Explicit after posting Chapter 3. Apologies to actual spies, not trying to perpetuate the myth that all you guys do is sleep with each other. But I think that's exactly what I did. And I am not retelling actual history of the Velvet Revolution, which began with a student protest on Nov 17, 1989, some details omitted or bent to fit my story.

#### Friday, 11:44 pm, November 17, 1989 < Need Your Help >

As she waited, Lorraine had time to realize that someone had called SNB (national police of Czechoslovakia, _Zbor národnej bezpečnosti_ ) to Carol’s hotel room at the exact time of Lorraine’s visit. Lorraine could hear the men wordlessly approaching. She flattened her body against the interior of the Tower arch as best she could and steadied the handgun in her hand. She made note of the few people on the Charles Bridge. Police had blocked and attacked peaceful marchers in the blocks that surrounded Charles University earlier in the evening. At this hour, students and other dissidents were beginning to mill about again.

Lorraine could tell that one of the men would soon spot her. As soon as he was within arm’s reach, she was a blur of blond as she grabbed his arm with one arm and swung the handgun with the other. The momentary crunch of gun on cartilage was the only sound. As he squatted, trying to breathe through crushed a windpipe, Lorraine brought her right knee up his jaw, and heard bone shattering, teeth snapping together grossly.

Before she could bring her leg down to regain balance, Lorraine was thrown against the Tower wall, her skull hitting first. She registered the sound of her handgun, skittering across the brick roadway. Temporarily blinded from the impact, she couldn’t protect herself from the kick of the second man. Reacting reflexively, she grabbed the foot and threw a punch into his jaw with her other hand. She followed with an elbow to the side of his head. Releasing him so that she could run, Lorraine managed several steps.

Her first attacker recovered enough to grab Lorraine by the arm and spun her around. She harnessed this momentum to push him against the short brick wall and over the side. The sound of a loud splash finally attracted the attention of the nearby bystanders. They saw a police officer running toward a tall blond woman. A student yelled out, “Stalo se to znovu!“ _(It’s happening again!)_ All those within earshot looked towards Lorraine and the officer.

To the students, the attack on Lorraine was accepted as corroboration of the rumors about police brutality earlier in the evening. They started moving toward the officer. He stopped running at Lorraine, realizing that he was about the face the crowd alone.

Lorraine limped across the bridge, and used the medieval street layout of Old Town Prague to her advantage to get lost among others on the streets.

Lorraine realized that she didn’t want to be alone. She stopped at a pay phone and dialed. “I need your help.”

#### \------------

Delphine was getting ready to go out for the evening, when her phone rang. She turned down the music to answer, “Allô?”

“I need your help.”

Delphine didn’t know which she found more surprising, hearing from Lorraine at this hour, or hearing her ask for help. “But of course. What can I do?”

“Can … I come to your place?”

After a short hesitation, “Should I come meet you? Where are you?” When she didn’t hear an answer, the young French agent couldn’t keep the concern out of her voice, “Can you speak? Are you okay?”

“Let me come to you. Where’s your place?”

While waiting on Lorraine to arrive, Delphine hurriedly tried to clean up her apartment. Not knowing what to expect, she found herself a bundle of nerves. After what felt like a long wait, she heard a soft knock at her apartment door.

Delphine answered the door with a smile on her face, a habit. Her smile quickly fell when she saw Lorraine. The left side of her face was bleeding from the forehead, the cheekbone, the jawbone. Both arms hung at her side, one hand covered in blood as well. Delphine ushered the tall blond into her apartment and closed the door.

“What happened to you?”

“I was looking in on a friend, and had some unexpected visitors.”

“Am I going to be hearing about this later, through official channels?”

“I didn’t kill anyone.” Taking note of Delphine’s dress, Lorraine added unapologetically, “I’m lucky I caught you before you left.”

“What is hurt?” Delphine decided to focus her attention on the blonde’s body. Her photographer’s eye scanned for and recorded evidence of a vicious fight. She interpreted each injury as if a blow to her own body, wanting to understand what happened beyond what she knew Lorraine would reveal.

“I need a cold bath, and all the ice cubes you can find.” Lorraine shrugged off her coat, and couldn’t hide her grimace when she tried to lift off her sweater.

“Stop, let me help you. Just sit for a minute.” Delphine gestured toward her couch, then went into her bathroom and started running the cold water. As she went into her kitchen, she popped her head into her small living area and saw Lorraine sitting, with her eyes closed and her head resting on the back of the couch. She grabbed all of her ice trays and took them into the bathroom.

“Let me see,” she whispered softly, not wanting to startle Lorraine. Delphine was rewarded with blue eyes opening and staring into her own. She gently took the blonde’s chin in her hand and turned her face to the side, to get a better look at the cuts. She hoped that her eyes didn’t reveal too much concern as she made eye contact. The brunette gently pulled Lorraine forward. Delphine tugged the sweater up and over the wide shoulders, taking care as she drew the sweater over Lorraine’s head. She sucked in her breath when she saw the massive green bruise covering her left rib cage and side. Lorraine’s taut stomach twitched erratically, revealing the difficulty she was having breathing.

One elbow was swollen, with angry red flesh. The hand of the other arm was bleeding at the knuckles.

Delphine moved to focus on removing the knee-high leather boots that Lorraine was wearing. She unzipped first one then the other. Trying to lighten the mood, Delphine smiled and looked up to say, “This would be quite sexy, under different circumstances.”

“It’s sexy anyway.” Delphine could feel Lorraine’s eyes on her.

“Okay, stand for me please.” Lorraine stood as asked. Delphine unzipped the short black skirt and slid it down the long legs. All that remained on were a black garter belt, lacy underwear, bra and hose.

“Do you always wear such fine undergarments to a fight?” Lorraine actually let out a small giggle at the French woman’s joke.

Delphine’s breathing became shallow as the unclipped the hose and slid one down her leg. She uncovered a knee that had an obscene bruise above the kneecap, the skin swollen and discolored. As she slid down the second hose, Delphine marveled at how toned the long legs were.

Delphine unclipped the garter belt and let it drop to the floor. She saw one corner of Lorraine’s lips curl up, clearly waiting to see what Delphine would do next. “Shall I?”

“Yes, please,” Lorraine challenged her.

Delphine moved to stand directly in front of Lorraine and reached around to unhook her bra with one hand. Delphine slowly slid the bra off of her shoulders and down her arms, both to prevent causing any pain and to relish her first sight of the perfect breasts that were now free. She added the bra to the growing collection of clothes on the floor. She then slid her fingers underneath the lace resting at each hip. As she slid the underwear over Lorraine’s firm, rounded ass, she had to close her eyes, overcome by excitement. Forcing her breath to remain measured, Delphine asked, “So this is what I was interrupted from enjoying last night?”

“Mmmm. I think I need some painkillers. Do you have anything I can take, or drink?”

“I have some vodka.”

“Put a glass and the vodka in the freezer to chill for me,” Lorraine asked as she walked towards the bathroom. As Delphine did so, she could hear ice cubes hitting the side of her tub. She heard a sharp intake of air, and a groan of “Fuck me!” as Lorraine lowered her torso into the ice cold water.

#### \------------

Delphine changed into more relaxed clothes while Lorraine soaked. When she finally heard movement in the tub, she prepared a drink and grabbed two towels. She offered the drink and watched as Lorraine drank the entire glass, looking at the towels. “Do you mind drying me off?”

Delphine didn’t mind at all. She walked to Lorraine’s backside and reached up to pat the blond hair dry. Then she focused her attention on drying off the shoulders and muscular back in front of her.

She figured that if this was going to be a sexually charged affair, she may as well enjoy it. Delphine squatted to be at eye level with Lorraine’s ass. She dried off each cheek, and then held the towel in one hand at Lorraine’s upper thigh. “Open up, s’il vous plait.” Lorraine shifted her weight to move one foot over slightly. Delphine lingered at the thighs, and then dried the calves.

Moving around to the front, Delphine grabbed the second towel to dry Lorraine’s face, taking care not to press too hard. Next she dried her shoulders and arms. Delphine could feel Lorraine’s eyes on her. Even so, she couldn’t help but lick her lips as she dried the beautiful breasts in front of her. As she dried underneath their swell, she noticed that the nipples were becoming erect. Delphine carefully dried her abdomen and sides, avoiding the bruised ribs as best she could.

Again Delphine lowered herself to dry Lorraine’s mound, pressing the towel to the dark blond curls. She looked up to see Lorraine staring down at her, her eyes revealing nothing. Delphine decided to finish drying off Lorraine’s legs without further pretense.

Delphine led Lorraine to her bed. “You’ll be more comfortable here.” She watched as the tall woman fell back into bed, not comfortable to support her weight on her hands or knees. Delphine poured drinks for both of them, and after Lorraine finished hers, offered to pull the sheets over her body.

“Lay with me. Naked.”

Delphine undressed and crawled under the covers, unsure of how to position herself relative to Lorraine. “You can lie on this arm. This side of my face isn’t beat up.” She smiled an impish smile.

Delphine moved in closer and placed her head on the offered shoulder. When she was satisfied that she wasn’t hurting Lorraine, she places her arm across her hips, and her leg over her thigh. “Is this okay? Am I hurting you?”

“Mmmm. Good.” Caressing the coolness of Lorraine’s skin elicited shivers.

Closing her eyes, discarding momentarily with her photographer trained eye, Delphine interpreted Lorraine’s needs. It went beyond needing someone to bathe her, to clean her wounds. Lorraine, having only shown her imperious side thus far, needed permission to feel.

#### \------------

Lorraine felt Delphine tracing her fingers lightly along Carol’s jawline, her hairline. Tucking her hair behind her ear. Delphine leaned in and kissed her cheek, her ear. Lorraine moved her head to the side slightly, making her neck available for more kisses. As the French agent moved in, she hummed her pleasure. “I think you’re trying to take advantage of me.”

“Perhaps … I promise to be gentle. Tell me to stop if I’m not?” Lorraine felt Delphine rise up on all fours, lean in and kiss each eyelid softly. The tenderness surprised Lorraine, who felt the need to say something, to blot out the overt submission on her part.

“Well this is a fine turn of events. I was supposed to be –“ she was interrupted by a kiss, Delphine’s tongue finding her own. Lorraine enjoyed having her mouth explored deeply, a tongue probing along her teeth and then moving out to her lips. It was over too soon, as Delphine began to kiss Lorraine’s neck and along a collarbone. Delphine moved further down, to rub her face along the side of Lorraine’s breast, before taking the nipple into her mouth. Lorraine purred as her nipple was encircled by Delphine’s tongue, and then pressed against teeth with a tongue tip. She encouraged the same treatment to be given to her other breast by arching her back slightly.

Delphine kissed below Lorraine’s breasts, and she could sense the younger woman’s attempts to avoid her bruised ribs. She felt fingertips lightly stroking the sensitive skin around her bellybutton. As Delphine’s lips and tongue moved down to replace her fingertips, Lorraine felt the gentlest touches along her hip bone and down to the juncture where her thighs meet pelvis. She thrilled at the young woman’s legs sliding down along her own, asking with nudges for her to open her legs. Lorraine jumped slightly when she felt a tongue enter her navel.

Lorraine, having picked up on Delphine’s language of signaling her next move, knew to expect the kisses along her pelvis and down to her curls. She moaned nonetheless, enjoying the feel of Delphine’s tongue and teeth on her hips. Delphine ran her fingertips behind one thigh, lingering at the back of her knee. Her other hand came up to rest on Lorraine’s mound, transferring warmth there.

With the slight pressure, Lorraine was intensely aware of how aroused she was, how swollen her clit was. She felt herself being overcome by emotion, and shook her head slightly, to regain control. Lorraine braced herself as Delphine placed her face where her hand had just been. She heard Delphine inhale deeply and moan lightly.

Delphine moved her face down, inserted her tongue deeply and opened Lorraine’s lips as she licked upwards. Lorraine could feel her own wetness coat her folds, her curls, as Delphine’s tongue first flattened across her clit, then curled around it. Delphine’s tongue found the perfect rhythm to allow Lorraine to forget her injuries and focus on her pleasure. Lorraine found herself moving against Delphine’s tongue despite herself. And when Delphine entered her with first two, then three fingers, Lorraine clenched around them as she allowed herself to be fucked.

Lorraine felt Delphine slow the tempo of her tongue, moving it lazily around her clit. Simultaneously, her fingers slowed in their stroking, but were curled forward, to focus on the sweet spot at the front of her vagina. “Fucking … fuck,” Lorraine swore. The pleasure was building so intensely, that the wait for its culmination felt at once agonizing and desiring.

Lorraine could feel herself become flush, as the pressure built towards release. She slowed the movement of her hips, and then stilled. At that moment, Delphine ceased moving her tongue, but held it flat against her clit. Delphine continued to fuck her deeply.

A deep shudder ran through Lorraine as she came. Lorraine lost her vision, seeing only white heat. She could feel her clit pulsing against Delphine’s tongue. Could feel her pussy grab onto the Delphine’s fingers. Could feel her wetness coats Delphine’s hand and chin.

Delphine resumed gentle strokes on her clit, causing Lorraine’s body to resume trembling, and her orgasm to wash over her in waves again and again.

As the pleasure slowing receded, Lorraine closed her eyes, afraid she might weep.

#### \------------

Delphine raised herself to be face to face with Lorraine, and kissed her forehead. Sensing her emotions, Delphine lay down, resting her head on her shoulder again, and gently rested her arm at her waist. After several minutes in silence, punctuated only by Delphine lighting cigarettes for the both of them, she felt Lorraine move slightly underneath her. Raising herself up on her elbow, she asked, “Do you need anything?”

“No, no.” And after a pause, “I can’t get used to this. It’s going to weaken me.”

“You shouldn’t worry so much about weakness.”

“I don’t.” And then, to prove Delphine right, “You know I could have undressed myself?”

“Then why did you come here? Saying that you needed help?”

“I knew you really wanted to fuck me,” she smiled. Lorraine tried to roll over onto her side to face Delphine, scowling as she reignited the pain in her ribs. “Someone tipped off the police …”

“Tipped them about what?”

Lorraine was trying to decide whether she could answer the question. Instead of waiting, Delphine said, guardedly, “This city sure has come alive in the last two days. It seems to coincide with the arrival of two beautiful blondes.” She wondered if she was drawing the correct conclusions.

“What do you mean?” Delphine then knew her comment struck a nerve.

“First, a tall, blond American arrived in Prague on Wednesday. And then you came a day later.” Lorraine looked as if she wanted her to continue. “And then the ambush at the coffee shop happened, then the student demonstration, your attack tonight …”

“Do you know anything about this American woman?”

“A bit. I know that she –“ Lorraine reached her hand up and put a finger to Delphine’s lips, to quiet her.

“Please go turn some music on.” Delphine looked at the blond momentarily, before getting out of bed and walking over to her stereo console. She pushed play on her tape deck, and Roxy Music “More Than This” played through speakers. Delphine crawled back into her bed, getting as close as she could to Lorraine.

Lorraine explained her request, “Like I said, I think someone is aware of my actions.”

Delphine leaned in and whispered into Lorraine’s ear, recounting seeing the tall blond at the nightclub, and seeing her leave with a young brunette. “She landed Wednesday afternoon, and spent the evening sight-seeing. The next night, at the bar, she gave her name as Mary. She left with a girl that I’ve seen before, but not a club regular.”

Lorraine contemplated whether or not to ask her next question. “Would you know how to get in touch with the woman, the one who left with Mary?”

“I know everything about this city,” Delphine stated confidently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, especially if you're enjoying this story. It gives such a lift when I'm writing and editing. I love the comments, and need to know that folks are enjoying it! Thanks!


	4. Plans in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therese is finally a full-fledged member of the story. And immediately, her story begins to converge with Carol's. Carol's backstory is also more fully revealed.
> 
> Because the last chapter focused mostly on Lorraine and Delphine, this one is mostly devoted to Carol and Therese. They will all get equal billing in the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I incorporate the plot of a short film that Cate Blanchett made called "Red". The film was released in 2017. It was written and directed by Del Kathryn Barton, an Australian artist whom Cate has collaborated with before. The film is hot, hot, hot; she portrays an orgasming redback spider. Check it out.

#### Saturday, 6:13 am, November 18, 1989 < Beyond the Distraction >

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Carol was awoken by loud knocks at the back door. Having only fallen asleep a few short hours earlier, Carol shook her head to wake herself more fully. She threw on her robe, grabbed her Beretta M9, and quietly made her way to the door. Holding her gun in a two-handed grip she asked, “Who is it?”

“Ross, it’s me.” Emmet Kurzfeld’s voice was unmistakable. _Why send someone so senior?_ She cracked open the door a saw Kurzfeld, his beard still in need of a proper trim. She opened the door to let him in.

“I brought you some coffee, and something to eat.” He looked her over closely. He saw a bandage on her left forearm. “What happened to your arm?”

"It’s nothing, I’ve forgotten about it already.” It was obvious that she gave the wound no thought. “That reminds me, this place could use some more first aid supplies. And more food.”

They both walked toward the dining table and sat down. Carol, unsure of how she wanted to broach the failed mission, gathered her thoughts. The silence grew. She was trying to steel herself to go through with the plan she formulated in the early morning hours. She wasn't ready to admit to having the List; she has some unfinished business to attend to, conspiracies to uncover.

“So do you have the List?” Kurzfeld asked, his tone not giving away any judgment on the outcome of the mission.

Carol did not hesitate at all. “No, I don’t,” she said, almost apologetically.

Kurzfeld gave her a penetrating stare. She knew he was looking for any tells that she was trying to deceive. After a drawn-out moment, he said, “Shit.” Then another long pause. “What happened?”

“Others had been tipped off about the exchange.”

“No shit.” Carol blinked at his words. “But what happened?”

“Just as I was about to initiate the exchange … Spyglass was skittish, so I had to approach carefully … three gunmen barged into the coffee shop. I know for a fact that two were StB agents, contracted for the job. Probably for their knowledge of the city. I recognized their guns, ALFA Combat handguns.”

“And the third?”

“MI6.”

“MI6? Are you sure?” Kurzfeld stared at her, disbelieving.

“Yes. I recognized his service gun. And as I was running from the scene, I heard him barking orders to the other two guys.”

“So anything happen since you touched down that might explain what happened?”

Carol rehashed all of the details that she herself had reviewed last night – those who followed her, those she had mundane interactions with, those that may have had an elevated threat level.

“What about the … distraction … on your first night? Could that have caused the mission to fail?” Carol didn’t give Kurzfeld the satisfaction of reacting. "I don't know Carol, you fuck up the exchange, put yourself in harm's way,” he points to her arm. “You’re one of our most valuable agents, but I’m beginning to wonder if you’re losing your touch." Carol doesn’t admit it, but she’s spent the last day thinking that just maybe, yes she is.

No time to focus on that now, Carol had to maneuver Kurzfeld into suggesting the very course of action she wanted to take. She gave her version of events, which were mostly true. “The breach happened on Spyglass’s end. I’m telling you, he was spooked. He was nervous about being discovered by someone, but whom?”

Carol waited for Kurzfeld to work through his thoughts. Just when she wondered if she’d done enough, Kurzfeld said, “You’re going to have to stay in Prague longer. Keep a low profile. But I need you to figure out what went wrong.”

First order of business, Carol wanted to check in on Spyglass's family, to make sure they were okay.

#### Saturday, 2:18 pm, November 18, 1989 < Her Mother’s Beauty >

Therese was exhausted; she’d spent most of the last 24 hours learning as much as she could about Carol Ross. She found herself feeling a little nervy about presenting the information to Lorraine and Delphine. She couldn’t pinpoint why she’d be anxious about it, she’d made these kinds of presentations dozens of times before.

They agreed to meet at Delphine’s safehouse, agreeing that it was least likely to be monitored given recent events in the city.

Delphine noticed the injuries to Lorraine's face. She wasn't offered an explanation, so she didn't ask for one.

Lorraine started without any preamble, “I’ve got Percival looking into a glove that Carol left at the coffee house. He’s currently in Paris, visiting a boutique where the gloves were made.”

“Can you tell me what this is all about?” Therese tested, to see if she’d be given any more context for the investigation into Carol Aird.

Lorraine gave what she knew to be an edited version of the mission, “I think that on her second night, Carol managed to get some information from Spyglass. Information that has the potential to change the course of what’s happening in all Eastern bloc countries. MI6 would rather the CIA not be in possession of this information.” After a long pause, while Therese digested what was being divulged, Lorraine asked, “Do you know anything about the information that Spyglass was going to share with Carol?”

“No, that information was impossible to track at StB. There are probably a lot of folks trying to erase all traces of whatever he was up to.” MI6 and the CIA not cooperating, it’s certainly possible. Therese just didn’t know if she found it plausible. It was obvious she wasn’t going to find out more from Lorraine or Delphine.

She began her debriefing on Carol. What she had found on her career indicated exemplary service. Agent Ross had risen in prominence to be considered one of CIA’s elite agents. She spent the beginning of her career as an intelligence collections analyst. Her ability to assess the utility of intelligence beyond the obvious, to predict possible outcomes, quickly earned her notoriety among her superiors. The intelligence mobilization prior to the announcement of the Strategic Defense Initiative necessitated having astute thinkers in the field, those who could be trusted to act automatically and appropriately. When the CIA recruited her to work in the clandestine service, it was thought that her sense of duty didn’t allow her to turn down the opportunity.

Her service in the field was considered stellar. Carol’s metrics -- assets secured, intel validated, agents saved compared to the two losses on her watch were heralded within the agency. After losing her first asset, Carol requested and was granted a six-month leave of absence. It was unknown how she’d react to Spyglass’s death.

Carol’s personal details weren’t quite as spotless as her professional record. They started out impressive enough … Carol was raised in New England, her father a politician, her parents prominent within Boston social circles. She was recruited by the CIA just before earning her bachelor degree in International Relations from Barnard College. After graduating, Carol continued to reside in New York City, working for the CIA at their World Trade Center office. She met Hargess Aird as her career was just beginning. They eventually married, and Carol found herself embroiled into another prominent family, this one New Jersey based.

Harge and Carol welcomed a daughter in 1979 –two years into their marriage, nearly three years into Carol’s career. For at least a year, Carol seemed to be thriving personally and professionally. But by early 1981, Carol’s marriage appeared to falter. By 1982, she had accepted a position as a field agent. Rindy began to be cared for largely by Harge, spending time with Carol between assignments.

Therese paused, seeming to prepare for the next phase of her presentation. Lorraine fills in the blanks. “She had an affair, with a friend from college. Could be why the marriage began to fail. Or it could have been her devotion to her career.”

Therese couldn’t hide the judgement in her voice. “How could she … not be in her daughter’s life?”

Lorraine appeared deep in thought for a few moments. “I know that your history leads you to that viewpoint. Living this life, we get pushed and pulled by forces from multiple directions. It will happen to you eventually.” From an envelope, she pulled out the picture of the young girl that she found in Carol’s hotel room. “This is Rindy.”

Therese noticed the similarities. “She’s got her mother’s beauty.”

“So you know what Carol looks like?”

“Oh yes,” Therese pulled out three photos. “I managed to come across these at StB. Probably used to prep Spyglass.”

Lorraine finished her thought about Carol’s relationship with her daughter. “So that six month absence, it’s believed she spent that time with Rindy.”

Therese knew that she lingered over the pictures just a beat longer than expected. “Alright, this is all great information. But what information do you have that we can use _now_ , if we want to locate Carol?” Lorraine asks, a bit impatiently.

“Carol appears to go off the grid periodically when visiting Paris. Happens about twice a year. For a few days at a time.”

“Good. Maybe this will tie into Percival’s search and yield something. What else do you have?”

Therese went over some of the more recent intel on Carol. “I checked with the Ministry, and officials do not believe that Carol has left the country.”

Delphine offered, “I checked with my Ministry as well, no sign of Carol in France.”

Therese could tell that both women were waiting to see if she had anything more to offer. Therese hated that she appeared indecisive. “I don’t know if this important.” Delphine and Lorraine waited. “Since her marriage ended, Carol seems to be living her life as a lesbian. That affair, that was with a woman.”

Delphine and Lorraine smiled at each other. “You know we both sleep with women as well?” Lorraine asked teasingly, allowing the discussion to stray slightly.

“Well I suppose. I didn’t think too much about who you slept with,” Therese tried to turn things around. “I don’t have an issue with any of it. I just didn’t know whether to mention it, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m glad that you don’t have an issue with _any of it_ ,” Lorraine parroted Therese’s own words. “I need to expand your role in this mission.” She paused for emphasis, causing Therese to raise her eyes to meet both women.

“Like I said, Carol has some information that I need. I need you to get close to Carol. I need you to seduce her.”

#### Saturday, 4:32 pm, November 18, 1989 < Honey Trap >

Therese knows that she’s about to face her biggest test as an agent. Her first honey trap. And it had to be an attempt to ensnare someone with Carol’s competence. And beauty. Therese tried to argue that she wasn’t attractive enough to lure in the likes of Carol. But Delphine and Lorraine assured her that she was “just Carol’s type,” whatever that meant.

She’s been sent to meet with a woman who slept with Carol three nights ago.

Therese knocked on the door to the woman’s apartment. A young, pretty brunette, about her own height, with blue-green eyes answered the door. She spoke in Czech, introducing herself as a StB officer, flashing a badge. “Are you Jana Bezek?”

Therese watch the pupils in her eyes dilate, so that her eyes looked almost black. “No need to be alarmed. I’m looking for someone and wonder if you may know of her whereabouts.”

“But of course.” Therese showed Jana a picture of Carol. The woman seemed to become more alarmed, and asked if she could step outside her door. Therese could hear a man’s voice from inside the apartment.

“Please, am I in any trouble? Did she do something?”

“No, it’s not what you think. What can you tell me about this woman?” When the woman hesitated, she decided to use her own fear against her, to prod her to speak. “We could go down to StB, if you’d be more comfortable talking there.”

“No, no, that’s not necessary.” She looked to the landings above and below her own, and lowered her voice to answer, “Her name is Mary. She’s American. I met her in a club three nights ago.”

“Please, what else can you tell me? I do not want to keep you any longer than necessary.”

Jana sighed, realizing that she’d have to reveal more. “I asked her for a drink. As you can see, she is beautiful, she was getting much attention from others. So I decided to be bold, so she’d … choose me.” Lowering her voice again, she continued, “My husband was working that night, so we came back here. She left sometime after four in the morning. She did not wake me when she left. I haven’t seen her since.”

Jana thought she had provided all the information she could. But Therese had another question for her. She did not lower her voice when asking, to prod Jana to answer. “What … activities … did you two engage in? Be as specific as possible.”

Jana’s seemed to deflate at the question. “How will this information help you find her?”

“We may be able to look for similar associations. Or perhaps you can provide evidence of a pattern of behavior.”

Jana continued, clearly uncomfortable, “We had sex. Many times. Mary took the lead most times. She only let me bring her to orgasm twice.” Therese couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at the “… only two times” detail. She is quite a good lover. The best, I think.” Jana added the commentary, hoping that it would end the questions. And then she remembered one other thing. “She bites. Is that helpful?”

“Yes. I think. What do you mean she bites?” Therese could feel her cheeks become warmer.

“Each time I came, she bit me. Or put her hands on me roughly. Here, see.” Jana pull her blouse open at her breast and revealed a bruise, the shape of ellipse, just above her breast. “I have another on my back. And some scratch marks. Do you need to see them?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“It’s like she wanted me to be aware of her right at the moment …” she trailed off. Therese seemed to be thinking about all that Jana shared. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, that will be all. Thank you for your time.”

“You won’t be coming back will you?”

“No, that’s all I need.”

#### Saturday, 6:14 pm, November 18, 1989 < Seduction Training >

Therese strolled alone through the city, thinking about the assignment facing her.

Therese was taught the art of seduction, just as all promising agents for Soviet states were. She thought back on this training, and couldn’t stop a look of displeasure from forming. Perhaps there was a point to using the least attractive people possible for the instruction. If she could seduce, or be seduced by, the instructors to which she had been assigned, then presumably she could fuck anyone.

All of the training was at the hands of instructors who were the last people on earth that Therese wanted to fuck.

The first man that she slept with had been particularly vile, large, red nose, muddy eyes, paunchy belly … the memory was enough to make Therese dry heave. The training _at the hands_ of her female instructor had not been much better. The woman kept insisting that Therese needed to hone her skills further; her training lasted twice as long as with the male instructor. Pervert. At least the woman smelled better.

All in all, Therese did not feel adequately prepared to manipulate an agent as cunning as Carol Ross, much less to get one as beautiful and worldly into bed. She considered asking Lorraine for a primer on seducing, well, a fucking hot spy. The thought brought a groan to Therese’s lips. It’d be like fucking her ... older sister. The best that Lorraine could offer were two tidbits of advice. The first was assurance that it didn’t matter that Therese wasn’t a lesbian, that she had all the attributes necessary to get Carol into bed. The second was a warning, that Carol was credited with nearly two dozen kills around the world. Therese pictured Carol as a female redback spider, one who would see her as an imposter and consume her as their mating ended.

 _Fuck._ What Therese really needed an instructor like Carol to prepare her for the likes of seducing Carol.

Therese recognized the cause of the trepidation that gripped her as soon as she was assigned to develop a dossier on Carol, when her heretofore existence, relatively sedate for a spy, became impossible to forecast. Therese could feel in her bones that that something momentous was going to happen…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that everyone is enjoying this story. Please leave a comment, even if you're just joining. Thank you all!


	5. Bonds, Beginning Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorraine realizes that her mission is unraveling, so she decides to involve Delphine more in her investigations. Their relationship continues to become more intimate.
> 
> Meanwhile, Carol has left the safehouse to undertake her own operation. Her movement about the city finally gives Therese the opportunity to make contact, and begin her seduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are following this story and have ready another one of my fanfics, you may recognize that I recycled a large chunk of one of my sex scenes. Sorry! I promise there will more unique ones ... this one just seemed to fit.
> 
> A reader suggested that the Carol in my story probably resembles Lou in the upcoming Ocean's 8 ... and it's so appropriate. So you'll see that I've begun to incorporate that suggestion (thank you!). I found a fun article about how Lou is an 80s version of Carol, and describes how the wardrobe of the Lou character helps to achieve that: https://www.autostraddle.com/how-to-dress-like-cate-blanchetts-oceans-8-character-who-is-definitely-queer-right-360488/

#### Sunday, 10:12 am, November 19, 1989 < Increasing Reliance >

Lorraine woke up feeling more like a human; the sharp pains from her injuries had subsided to become a more manageable soreness.

Delphine was cleaning up their coffee cups from the dining table. Before she could turn around and walk them to the sink, Lorraine stood behind her, placed one hand in between the brunette’s legs and held her by the hip with the other. Lorraine cupped her pussy from behind, and nibbled on Delphine’s earlobe. She then slid her hand slowly up Delphine’s ass. The brunette closed her eyes, and whimpered softly. Lorraine leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I want to taste you.” She felt Delphine shudder.

Lorraine turned Delphine around slowly to face her. She curled her index finger under the young woman’s chin and parted her lips by placing her index finger on Delphine’s bottom lip and pulling down gently. Lorraine then entered her mouth deeply with her tongue.

Continuing her kiss, Lorraine placed her hands at the backs of Delphine’s thighs and lifted her onto the table. Lorraine pulled her towards to edge of the table, spreading her legs with her body. As she did so, Delphine’s dress hiked up, exposing her thighs. Lorraine grabbed the hem of the dress at each thigh and pulled it up to her waist. Delphine steadied herself by holding onto Lorraine’s shoulders.

Lorraine tangled a handful of the brunette’s hair in one hand and pulled Delphine’s head to the side, breaking their kiss. She hungrily began kissing down Delphine’s neck, beginning just behind one ear and making her way down to a collarbone.

Lorraine took each of Delphine’s hands in her own and pulled them away from her shoulders. She placed them on the table, so that Delphine was leaning back, propping herself up.

Once she had Delphine in her desired position, Lorraine tugged her underwear down her hips. Delphine helped by lifting each cheek slightly so that Lorraine could slide the panties down her legs. Not bothering to stand up again, Lorraine spread Delphine’s legs open wide and rested her face against Delphine’s opening. She looked up, and as she met Delphine’s eyes, Lorraine spread her lips by swiping her tongue deeply, up towards Delphine’s clit. As soon as she did so, Delphine groaned her appreciation and closed her eyes, throwing her head back.

Lorraine continued to stroke her tongue over Delphine’s clit. Delphine moaned her approval, “Tu me rends folle.” Once Delphine began to roll her hips slightly, Lorraine knew that she was nearing orgasm. She placed two fingertips at Delphine’s opening and entered her slowly. Delphine moved her hips against Lorraine’s hand as Lorraine began to stroke into her. Within moments, Delphine’s pussy, already swollen such that Lorraine’s fingers were smothered deep within, began to convulse. When she came, Delphine began to contract around Lorraine’s fingers; her clit went from rigid to throbbing. Lorraine eased off of her touches gradually. When Delphine’s throbbing and contractions eased, Lorraine stood and pulled Delphine in for a long, lingering kiss.

#### \------------

Lorraine took a deep drag and looked over Delphine’s naked body, lying on her stomach, her face turned away.

Lorraine was pondering the unprecedented degree to which she had grown to rely on Delphine. Ever since requesting Delphine’s help on the night she was attacked at Carol’s hotel room, Delphine has proven invaluable.

Delphine couldn’t possibly fully understand the ends to which she was contributing. She hadn’t asked and Lorraine hadn’t offered.

Not that Lorraine isn’t grateful for the assistance. Delphine has helped to move forward Lorraine’s investigation in substantial ways. The girl gets shit done, gets questions answered.

Yesterday, as Lorraine was still nursing her wounds in Delphine’s apartment, the young French agent visited Percival’s apartment. Lorraine had expressed her concern that he had not checked in when expected. What she found forced Lorraine to cast doubt on his loyalties.

She found that Percival’s apartment was filled with mountains of goods available in the west – he had been quite busy during the past year selling the items on the black market. A second, more telling, find … the glove that Percival was supposed to be following up on in Paris was found on a credenza. He had probably not even begun to track down the origin of the glove, or to see if it would lead to any information that could help to track Carol down.

Lorraine took stock of her mission and determined that it was unraveling at the seams. Lorraine suspected that Percival, at a minimum, tipped off Czech Police to her presence at hotel room. In a worst case scenario, she suspected Percival of sabotaging the ambush of Spylgass during the handover of the List, and subsequently thwarting her attempts at finding Carol.

Her courses of action: continue to support Therese in her efforts to get close to Carol; track Percival, to see what might be revealed about his motives; and figure out why Carol would stay in Prague if she has List.

Lorraine had already asked Delphine to use her contacts in Paris to take on the glove research. Depending on how that went, Lorraine determined that she would deepen Delphine’s involvement in her mission.

As she stubbed out her cigarette, Lorraine appreciated how the sheets were draped over Delphine’s curves in an immodest way. She isn’t used to having her work so closely tied to her sex life. Lorraine knows that the two should be decoupled, but she cannot help herself… she cannot get enough of Delphine’s body. And so she leaned over to gently wake Delphine, to make love to her again.

#### Sunday, 1:47 pm, November 18, 1989 < Patience >

After a handful of phone calls, Delphine was able to determine the likely origin of Carol’s gloves. She met with Lorraine at a café, to share what she had learned.

They greeted each other with pecks on each cheek. Lorraine looked around as they sat. Then she stared into Delphine’s eyes, almost self-consciously.

“It’s been a long two hours,” she said teasingly. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve got a nice reminder of our reminder of our morning. The most pleasant ache.” Delphine loved that their interactions had become more flirtatious.

After ordering a light lunch, their conversation turned to the business at hand.

“I found the boutique where the gloves were made. This Carol has superb taste. But then again, I already knew that. When I saw her on her first night, she was dressed to impress.”

“How did you find the shop?”

“It was easy. There is a tag sewn into the seam at the thumb, with the boutique’s initials. The boutique specializes in small custom leather goods. It is located in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré district.”

“Do you think we can extract more information from the glove?”

“Oh, I’m sure of it. The glove looks fairly new, so the fine leathersmith is likely still around. And the pattern sewn onto the back of the glove was specified by Carol, but would be interpreted uniquely by a leathersmith. I think I can speak to the person who interacted with Carol when she ordered the gloves. But it will have to wait until tomorrow, when the shop reopens.”

Lorraine appeared quite pleased. “Do you know what you’re going to ask?”

“I was going to confirm first that it was Carol who ordered the gloves. I can use a fax machine to send a picture of Carol. Once that is confirmed, I can ask how she paid for the gloves, whether anyone else came to the shop with her, if she has any current orders in progress…”

“Good, good,” Lorraine interrupted, exhibiting confidence that Delphine knew how to proceed. “Please don’t share this with anyone else.”

“But of course.”

Delphine was enjoying her burgeoning relationship, both professional and sexual, with Lorraine. But it didn’t stop her from wondering why Lorraine’s original mission had taken so many twists and turns. Her mission to escort double agents out of Prague seemed to have fallen by the wayside. They shared an interest in the ambush at the coffee shop, but Delphine wasn’t completely sure what motivated Lorraine’s interest. Delphine was trying to determine how the many events of the past few days were related – the ambush at the coffee shop, Lorraine’s beating at the hands of the Czech police, Percival’s disappearance.

Lorraine wasn’t forthcoming with information, and preferred to spoon feed it to Delphine. She was confident that Lorraine would continue to draw her into her mission, whatever it truly was. And Delphine was willing to let Lorraine dictate the pace, in order to give their personal relationship time to develop.

#### Sunday, 2:33 pm, November 19, 1989 < Freedom of Movement >

Hiding out in the safehouse didn’t suit Carol. Not only did hiding out in the safehouse fuel Carol’s propensity for restlessness, but she knew that she was soon running out of time to find and help Spyglass’s wife and daughter, Kateřina and Adéla. That is if Kateřina would even accept Carol’s help.

Carol had tried to keep the guilt at bay over Spyglass’s death. She didn’t succeed, even though she couldn’t be certain what forces at play to lead to the failed exchange. Solving that mystery would be her next order of business.

At the moment, Carol was glad to be moving about. What Carol missed most when she was on assignment … freedom of movement. And of course, Abby and Rindy. Especially Rindy. Carol associates the three together, because that’s how she usually experiences them. When in New York, Carol stays at Abby’s home with Rindy. When in Paris, again Carol stays at Abby’s pied-à-terre, the one she maintains for sourcing French antique furniture. Carol is fairly certain that no one knows where she is or how to reach her when she is in Paris. Carol no longer takes for granted the ability to hide from her employer.

Having followed Spyglass to his residence prior to the ambush, she was familiar enough with the route there that she could walk briskly. The activity was rejuvenating, and got her blood flowing. She felt her senses sharpen with each step. As she got closer, her movements became much more guarded.

When Carol was four blocks their home, she stopped walking to observe the activity on the street ahead. She took the time to light a cigarette and pretended to window shop. When she was convinced that there was no one stationed along the way, she walked to the next corner.

By the time Carol reached the last block before reaching Spyglass’s home, she could detect the telltale signs of lookouts positioned on along both sides of the street. There were three government cars parked outside of the panel block apartment. She assumed that agents were there at Spyglass’s apartment.

Carol timed her approach toward the entrance of the panelák so that she entered along with another resident. Carol knew that Spyglass’s apartment was on the fourth floor, so she found the stairs and began to walk up. As Carol approached the third floor landing, she could hear voices of several men talking one floor up. Their voices never changed in volume or pitch, so Carol deduced that they were standing watch in the hallway.

Carol began walking down the stairs, pondering her next steps. Carol stepped outside the entrance door and lit a cigarette. The presence of lookouts and officials meant that Kateřina and Adéla were either in custody, or were being monitored-in-place. Either way, reaching them to ascertain their condition and next steps was going to be difficult. Maybe impossible without outside assistance.

As Carol reached the end of the walkway in front of the apartment block, she heard a commotion at the entrance door. She stepped onto the sidewalk, out of the way of those approaching, and turned around. She spotted Spyglass’s wife and daughter. Looking at those surrounding Kateřina and Adéla, Carol locked eyes with the most exquisite creature, a petite brunette with delicate features and emerald green eyes. This woman did not look away from Carol’s gaze. And Carol found that she could not look away from hers.

#### Sunday, 3:41 pm, November 19, 1989 < Something Fateful >

Therese, using her StB connections, managed to insinuate herself among the group of agents tasked with debriefing Kateřina and Adéla. Therese knew that there was a high probability that Carol would want to check in on Spyglass’s family.

The agents’ job – to determine how much the wife and daughter knew of Spyglass’s plans for defection. Therese knew that the woman and daughter would not get any rest until officials were convinced they had no more to offer. They had woken them up at 3:00 am, to begin interrogating each separately about what intel had been compromised by Spyglass in exchange for safe passage, which Allied service and agents he was working with, who within StB had aided him … Therese didn’t see an end to the questioning any time soon.

Because questioning was yielding little information thus far, Therese and the other agents were taking the mother and daughter to Kachlíkárna, to more effectively apply pressure to them both. They let both down the steps and out toward the waiting government cars.

Upon exiting the apartment block, Therese saw a statuesque blond woman from behind. Therese knew that his woman was Carol Ross.

When she turned around, Therese’s eyes met hers. Immediately Therese recalled that feeling she had, after learning about her assignment to seduce Carol that something fateful was going to happen to her.

Therese’s first gaze upon Carol forced her to acknowledge that something, no someone, staggering had entered her life. Therese stopped moving and couldn’t hide the impact that the beautiful woman had on her. Carol too didn’t move as they regarded each other. Therese is not sure how long her trance would have lasted had she not been interrupted by another agent. The man’s insistent voice, and movement toward Therese, forced her to look away momentarily from Carol. After Therese addressed his question, she looked back toward Carol. Carol had already started walking away from the direction of the car she was headed toward.

Therese noticed Carol’s outfit, which seemed chosen to imply, “I have nothing to hide.” And physically, she did not. Carol wore full-grain black leather pants, into which she loosely tucked a striped purple button-down shirt. Her black leather boots with four-inch heels matched the pants perfectly, such that it was difficult to tell where her feet ended and her long, shapely legs began. Her purple shirt was buttoned down to below her bosom, exposing her breasts that were threatening to spill out of her black lace bra. Her only accessories were a thin red-patterned tie, loosely tied to accentuate her cleavage, and a black leather belt with a gold buckle of two adjoining wolfs heads. To guard against the cold, she wore a cheetah-print, knee-length overcoat and a burgundy scarf around her neck.

Therese watched after Carol for as long as she reasonably could. By the time, she reached the car and secured the daughter inside, Carol had rounded a corner, out of view. Therese could feel the best opportunity to engage the woman slipping away.

Speaking in Czech, Therese told the other agents, “I think I should follow up with that woman. She was in the apartment building and may have overhead something. You go ahead, I’ll be at Headquarters soon if this turns out to be nothing.”

#### \------------

Carol rounded the corner of the apartment block, already deep in thought, trying to come up with a plan for checking in on Spyglass's family. Carol’s thoughts were disrupted with the sounds of footfalls and someone yelling in her direction, “Prosím, čekejte. Počkejte!“ _(Please wait. Wait!)_

She turned to face the woman shouting, and saw that it was the green-eyed beauty from Spyglass’s apartment. Immediately, Carol had to actively control her breathing. And she started to develop her plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, I appreciate them!


	6. Smoke and Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol and Therese get acquainted, and feel each other out (though not in that way... yet). Is Lorraine being hung out to dry? 
> 
> All four women are consummate professionals at spycraft, but their individual personalities start to emerge. Carol is cerebral yet compassionate. Therese is open and alert. Delphine does anything necessary. And Lorraine analyzes without emotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile! For those who are reading this chapter after such a long break, thanks for your patience! New readers, welcome! 
> 
> One of the things I have accepted in my break from this fic... not going to get worked up if the number of words isn't equal among the four women from chapter to chapter. In the end, it'll all work out.

#### Sunday, 4:21 pm, November 19, 1989

Carol waited for the young brunette to approach. As she did so, Carol turned to face her, straightening her posture and rolling her shoulders back. It was a defensive gesture, one that Carol slipped into whenever she wanted to use her height to her advantage. As if remembering that she wanted to engage this young woman, to see what information she might yield, Carol kept her arms by her side, and allowed a curious smile to slowly widen.

The woman seemed flustered, and Carol was trying to determine if that was from running, or if there was some other cause. When the brunette was within arm’s reach, she stopped without saying anything. As if she were thinking about what she wanted to say.

When Therese was close enough, Carol got a good look at her. She had the distinct impression that she knew her. That she’d seen the beautiful face before.

Carol chose to speak in French. “Bonsoir. How may I help you?”

“The young mother and her daughter, do you know them?” The brunette spoke in English, with a heavily accented Czech accent.

“I’ve known Kateřina since childhood. Our mothers knew each other.” Carol answered, also in English.

“Excuse my rudeness. I am Therese.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Mary.” Therese smiled when she gave her name. Carol continued. “Can you tell me, are she and Adéla in any trouble?”

“No … well yes. Kateřina’s husband has been … well something terrible has happened to him.” Therese flashed a badge. “We are trying to see if she can direct us toward those who may had a hand in his …”

“I see. Is there anything I can do?”

“Would you like to speak with Kateřina? As you can imagine, she is in shock. Maybe you can draw her out of silence. You may be able to assist our efforts as well.”

“This is not my place, but it doesn’t appear as if much is being done to help Kateřina and Adéla. Have they done anything wrong?”

Therese looked into Carol’s eyes, and the blond was confident she saw genuine concern. “No, no. We are trying to find those that have harmed the husband, the father.”

This was Carol’s opportunity. “Yes, I’d love to speak with Kateřina if possible. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“No, not at all. Let me call ahead.” Therese walked over to and spoke into her walkie-talkie, keeping her eyes on Carol. Still thinking on her feet, Carol hoped that Kateřina knew enough about her that she wouldn’t act too surprised at her request to speak with her. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

Therese walked back over to Carol. “Okay. We may go.”

They hailed a taxi, Therese providing the address of police headquarters to the driver. As they rode in silence, Carol stole quick glances over to the young woman. What she could see of her skin was pale, flawless. Therese’s hands were delicate, her fingers held at the ready, as if she were poised to play a musical instrument. Carol imagined that Therese could have been a fine pianist, were she not a police officer. In the absence of piano keys, Therese rubbed her fingers, almost imperceptibly, against each other.

When Therese looked over to Carol, Carol became lost in the green eyes again for a moment, before forcing herself to look out the window. She closed her eyes, to prepare her dialogue for meeting Spyglass’s wife for the first time, but having it appear as if they were lifelong friends.

When Carol opened her eyes again, the taxi rounded a corner and came upon a terrible car accident. Even from the end of the block, it was apparent that there may be casualties inside the overturned car.

The taxi driver stopped that car a half a block away and all three occupants drew their breath in simultaneously. He voiced what Carol and Therese knew to be true, “Policejní auto!”

Carol and Therese ran to the scene of the accident. The accident must have just occurred, as bystanders were only just starting to gather. Therese pulled a walkie-talkie out of her pocket to alert police about the accident.

Carol took advantage of the distraction to examine the police car. The police officer driving the car and Kateřina were clearly dead. It appeared that neither had been wearing a seat belt; the driver’s body was partially hanging out of the driver’s side window. Kateřina appeared as if she had been bent over the seat back when the car landed on its roof. The daughter was still alive.

By this time, Therese had rejoined Carol. Carol looked at Therese momentarily and then turned her attention back to the overturned car. The car appeared to be going at a high rate of speed when it crashed, the damage was significant. “The adults were not wearing seat belts.”

Carol noticed that Therese’s eyes widened slightly at her words. Therese looked into the car, and once she confirmed Carol’s assessment, turned away.

Therese’s sudden change of mood, her despondency, was palpable. “Are you okay?” Carol asked.

“I buckled her into that seat myself.”

#### \------------

Both Carol and Therese were clearly shaken up by the accident, and didn’t speak to each other or those around them as they waited for the ambulances to arrive.

Therese was no doctor, but it appeared as if her injuries were relatively minor.

When the first ambulance arrived, both women made sure that Adéla was secured for transport to a hospital.

An hour later, once the last ambulances carrying the bodies left, Carol turned to Therese. “You probably have work to do, a report to write up …”

“I am sorry that things have turned out this way. About your friend.”

“Yes …” Carol stretched out the word, deep in thought.

“You seem upset. Let me buy you tea. I can go into the office later.”

“You are sad as well. Was the police officer a friend? Or did you have a connection to Kateřina and Adéla?”

“No. I am sad for different reasons. How about some tea? It is cold, and we’ve been standing outside a long time.”

Carol and Therese walked to a café and sat down. Carol lit a cigarette, offered one to her. Therese accepted, “Thank you.”

After taking her first drag, Therese continued. “I am so sorry about your friend.”

Carol’s face revealed true sadness. “I am also concerned about Adéla. I have a daughter her age. This will be a difficult transition for her. And the political climate will not help matters.” Carol looked into Therese’s eyes. “I don’t mean to be impolite, but we both know tremendous change is occurring …”

“No offense taken.” Therese debated about whether to share her own, real thoughts about Adéla, and decided to proceed. “I share the same worries for her, but my motivations are different. I am a product of the orphanage system in this country.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to judge …”

“Do not be sorry. Your concerns are well placed. Anytime a child loses their parents, it is devastating. The world is not any more kind to those who grow up without their parents.”

Both women took a sip of tea.

“Your daughter … and husband, where are they?”

“They are in New York. I am no longer married. My husband and I divorced long ago. My daughter lives with her father much of the time. I travel frequently.”

“Oh, I too did not mean to judge earlier, when I spoke of children growing up without their parents.”

“There is no need to apologize. But, yes the divorce and custody decisions have not been easy for any of us.” Carol sighed.

“You must miss her. Why do you travel?”

“I’m a furniture broker.”

“And what does a furniture broker do?”

Therese listened as Carol gave a realistic and detailed description of furniture brokerages. She knew this information had some significance. When the topic of furniture buying and selling had been exhausted, both women sat quietly. Therese saw Carol shudder slightly.

“Are you cold? Are you okay?”

“I cannot shake the image of Kateřina. The wreckage was gruesome.”

“You must be quite sad.”

“It’s not that.” Carol inhaled deeply. “It didn’t look like an accident. It appeared as if Kateřina caused the accident. There’s no way the driver would have been driving as fast as the car was travelling when it crashed into the building. And the timing of the acceleration into the concrete barrier. The unbuckled seatbelts. The wreckage appeared as if it were the result of a series of resolute decisions, not an accident.”

“Mary, you’re thinking like an investigator, and not a furniture buyer. What do you think it all means?”

Carol turned the question back around to Therese. “You were investigating the death of Kateřina’s husband. Maybe you could share what it all means.”

Therese opened her mouth to reply, but then reeled her answer back in. “I am afraid I cannot. Not while there is an investigation underway.”

Carol looked at her watch. “I must get going. And you have work to do.”

Therese realized that she inadvertently changed the tenor of the conversation and found herself scrambling for an excuse to see Carol again. “Are you going to be okay? When are you leaving Prague? Maybe we could get dinner. I know this city intimately.”

Therese could feel Carol assessing her facial features. And she did the same, again. She had already come to the conclusion that Carol was even more striking in person.

Therese regretted knowing so much about Carol before meeting her.

Therese appreciated the obvious about Carol – her beautiful facial features, her height and litheness, her deliberate and seductive mannerisms. And as she discovered hints of the less tangible – the way Carol navigated the complexities of their surreptitious interactions, her reaction to the wreckage, her raw emotions over the lost time with her own daughter – Therese found that she envied any who had or would have the opportunity to know and appreciate Carol in an organic way. The discovery would fuel many daydreams.

Therese could see in her reaction to Carol what it felt like to fall in love.

Therese resented having a job to do. Having _this_ job to do.

“I am staying through Wednesday. Dinner would be nice. How about tomorrow night?”

“Yes, that works. I can meet you … at your hotel. Is 8:30 okay?”

“Yes. The Mandarin Oriental. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

 

#### Monday, 10:13 am, November 20, 1989

Lorraine was surprised to have been called in for a briefing by her supervisor, Eric Gray. She had more important things to do than answer his questions. Lorraine wanted to track down Percival, who hadn’t been heard from in three days.

And she wanted to follow up on information from Therese. Her first meeting with Carol yielded some useful information, if not the List. Delphine’s earlier intel on Carol’s frequent shopping trips to Paris, when coupled with Therese’s intel that Carol posed as a furniture broker, gave her a new avenue for investigation.

She had asked Delphine to search for furniture brokerages in Paris that had ties to dealers in New Jersey – Carol’s state of residence. Delphine was on her way to Paris this morning. Delphine had already offered to follow promising leads to see if they could be traced to anyone connected with Carol.

And while Lorraine wasn’t sure if the Paris / furniture connection would lead anywhere, Therese had provided some other, more useful information about Carol Ross’s motives. Therese was under the firm belief that Carol’s primary motive for sticking around Prague was to check in on Spyglass’s wife and daughter, to follow through on the offer of safe passage that Spyglass was seeking for his family.

Unfortunately, it seems the wife panicked. And that Carol is getting soft. It might be time for her to get out of the game.

Lorraine wondered about any softening of her own methods in the last few days. She hoped that she wasn’t let her pussy cloud her judgment when it came to Delphine.

#### \------------

Eric was already seated at the table when Lorraine walked into the conference room of the embassy.

“Lorraine, thank you for coming in this morning.”

“Did I have a choice? And I thought C was going to be here.”

“He couldn’t make it. Something came up, and he was called back to London.” Lorraine looked over to the one-way mirror along the short end of the conference room to signal her doubt about Eric’s statement. He tried to redirect her focus. “Lorraine, I want to ask you a few questions about your mission. It appears to have gone off the rails.”

“In what way?” As Eric shuffled some pages, and Lorraine lit a cigarette. She wasn’t going to be put on the defensive.

“You were sent here to shepherd two efforts, and it appears that neither have gotten very far. The mission that provides the guise for your being here – working with DGSE resources to transport Therese Belivet and other Circus agents out of the country – tell me in your words how far along it is.”

“Most of the operatives have been safely delivered back to the West. And as for Therese, she has volunteered to help me with our second operation.” Lorraine exhaled and regarded Eric through a smoky haze. She smiled inwardly, at her own ‘smoke and mirrors’ deception of her superiors.

“Yes, the second operation.” Eric drew the words out, for emphasis. “We’ve heard from our American colleagues that they are not in possession of the List.”

Lorraine hid her surprise … this was the first time she heard confirmation of collusion by the CIA and MI6. It called into question who was really running the operation. Lorraine couldn’t be sure who was in possession of the List … up until this point, she was convinced that Carol Ross had the List. Therese would hopefully learn more tonight after dinner, and whatever else ensued, with Carol.

Could it be that Percival had the List, and that’s why he hadn’t been heard from? If that were the case, he was taking his bloody time using the information in the List to his advantage.

Lorraine determined that she needed to visit the black markets where Percival held court, hawking the goods stockpiled in his apartment. She needed to find his favorite haunts, his most trusted associates.

Eric interrupted her thoughts. “Are we sure that the List isn’t already in the hands of MI6?”

Was he asking about Percival? Or herself? Either way, Lorraine’s reliability was being called into question. She stubbed out her cigarette. “I’ll admit that I’ve lost track of Percival …”

“It’s been three days, Lorraine. David has been our most valuable embedded agent in Prague. What if he’s in danger?”

“What if he doesn’t want to be found?” She regretted going on the defensive, being pushed into a corner. Eric pounced.

“You’ve been too busy with a certain _distraction_ to look for David properly. And you’ve given this French agent unprecedented access to our intel and intents. To what end, Lorraine?”

#### \------------

Lorraine left the meeting with Eric certain that she learned more than she revealed.

The scope of the operation to acquire the List had stakeholders beyond MI6, and included at least the CIA. Lorraine wondered how much Carol Ross knew. And how much she should tell Therese, who would be meeting Carol in a few short hours.

Eric seemed to have intimate knowledge of Lorraine’s actions, which indicated that someone close to her was watching and reporting on a regular basis.

And finally, it appeared that the secret that Lorraine was ultimately trying to keep hidden was still safe, for now. After today’s shakedown in front of C, Lorraine had no doubt that Eric would eagerly punish her as a warning to others.

She needed to find answers before that could happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when you spend a long weekend with the in-laws, where the wifi is weak and the beds are back-breaking. I was up in the middle of the night and dusted off a long-neglected chapter to this fic. Let me know if you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> This is only my second fanfic. I know nothing about writing a spy story, but can't ignore the story that's been forming in my mind. If you see a plot wrinkle, please point it out - I've had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of all plot threads and intersections.
> 
> I love the comments, they fuel my desire to continue with the story. So please post comments, both to provide encouragement, and to offer constructive criticism. Thanks!


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